Leather-stretching device.



No. 699,833. Patented May I3, |902.

J. CALDWELL.

LEATHER STRETCHING DEVICE.

(Application led Jan. 8, 1901.)

(No Model.)

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`TTED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

JOHN CALDWELL, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR TO TIIE IV. S. NOTTCOMPANY, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, A CORPORATION.

LEATHE'R-STRETCHING DEVICE. i

SPECIFICATION forming part bf Letters. Patent NO. 699,833, dated May13,1902.

riginal application filed January 25,1900, Serial No. 1,424. Divided andthis application filed January 8, 1901. Serial Io ing skins or hides,and especially to themeans employed in stretching the divisions ofleather commonly known as sides, backs,7 dac., for use in themanufacture of belting. The common practice in the preparation ofleather for belting is to sever the hides transversely at the shoulder,trim the sides to straighten the edges, and cut the butts longitudinallyinto sides and backs or other divisions of desired widths, but leavingthe rump ends of For holding such divisions during the operation ofstretching the common practice is to clamp the ends to the propermembers of a stretching-machine, and in order to prevent the slipping ofthe leather 2 5 in the clamps under stron g tension it is foundnecessary to provide the contact-surfaces of the clamps with ribs orother irregularities, with the result of producing corresponding creasesor irregularaties in the clamped por- 3o tions of the leather,which'portionsare generally unfit for use in lthe manufacture of beltingand are cut oi as Waste. o When the rump or otherirregnlar ends are thusclamped across the body'of the leather back of the irregularities,considerable valuable leather becomes waste.

It is the principal object of the present invention to provide simpledevices for securing the leather in a way that will avoid the 4oformation of objectionable creases in it, lessen the proportion of Wastematerial, and effect a more desirable stretching of all parts of theleather. Such devices are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of aleather-stretching apparatus embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is aplanview of the front or right-hand portion of the apparatus shown in Fig.1, and Figs. 3 and/l (No model.)

views of one of the devices for engaging and provided with suitablelateral extensions in ways 4, formed in the side bars 1, abutting theends of the movements. In use the frame is preferably placed on a tableor support 5,

with the ends of the side bars l abutting the ends ofthe frame 6, thatsupports the operating mechanism. The latter may consist of any of theusual means employed in such maohines-as, for instance, gears foroperating a screw that is revolubly connected to a crosshead and rods 7,carried by the latter and provided with hooks 8 for connecting them toeyesihprovided on the sliding head. The operation ofthe screw in eitherdirection and its stoppage when desired should be under the control ofan operator by means of a lever, hand-wheel, or other Well-knownVdevice, (not shown,) so that the degree of the stretching of theleather may be regulated at will by the operator.

The heads A and B may consist of boards or woodenbodies 10, held atfront and rear between angular clamping-plates 11 and 12. A bolt 14,extending through the frame sides into or through the head A, holds itirmly in place in the frame.

Dogs 15, pivoted to ears on the plates 12 of the sliding head B, engageteeth on bars 16, attached to the frame sides 1, for preventing backwardmovement of the head when the tension of the draft-rods 7 is relaxed.

For securing the straight end of a side C or other division of a hide toone of the stretcherheads (preferably to the slidable head B) the headselected for the purpose is provided with a row of tines or pins 17 on abar or plate 1S, that is secured on the top of the head, the row oftines extending across the head from side to side at right angles to thedirection of movement of the slidable head. The straight end of theleather islaid on the tines so that 5o are respectively plan andvertical sectional they will penetrato its margin close to the we edge,and it is then pounded with a lnallet or other tool to force the tinesthrough it.

For securing the rump end of the leather to the other stretcher-head Iemploy a series of longitudinally and laterally adjustable independentholders, each of which is pivotally supported and is adapted to engageonly a short portion of the leather margin. These holding devices maycon'sistas illustrated, of a plate or body 19, having a row of tines orpointed pins 20 for engaging the leather and having in its rear portiona horizontal slot 21 for receiving the end of a bar or coupling device22 and having also curved slots 23 or openings in its upper and lowerwalls to receive and guide a pin or roller 24, that projects from theupper and lower surfaces of the bar 22d. A pivotal connection is thus'formed betweenthe body 19 and the bar 22, whereby either may be turnedin horizontal direction to any desired inclination relative to theother. The lateral extension of the slots`23 or openings enables acorresponding lateral adjustment of the points of such pivotalconnection to be effected.

The bar or shank 22 has a series of vertical holes 25, andthe head A isprovided with pins or studs 26, arranged ina row on a plate 27,extending across it at right angles to the frame sides l, and the bar isthus enabled to be adjusted both laterally and longitudinally and thensecured to the head by engaging one of the studs on the latter in one ofthe holes in the bar. The coupling-bar, therefore, is

,pivotally as wellras adj ustably connected to both the leather-holderand the stretcher- .all o f the coupling-bars may be adj ustedlaterallyto positions substantially parallel with the direction ofmovement of the slidable Y head, (indicated by the arrow a in Fig. 2,)and when so adjusted they may be connected to the stretcher-head byengaging them with the pins 26.

In conducting the operation of engaging and stretching the leather it isdesirable to stretch the softer and more yielding portions to a greaterextent than the harder and less yielding portions. To effect suchresult, it is only necessary to connect and operate different holders ofthe series in proper sequencethat is, the holders for the softest andmost yielding portion should be rst connected and that portion given aninitial stretching before other holders are put to work and the .otherportions of varyin g consistency successively engaged and stretched. Asillustrated in-Fig. 2, the holders shown as in engagement With theshorter portions of leather, which are portions nearest the sides of thev hide and softer, more yielding, and capable of being stretched to agreater extent Without injury to the ber than adjoining or otherportions, may be irst put in service and the side portion of leatherstretched until it is of about the same tenacity or ability to resiststress as the portion that is contiguous to it, and the otherholders maythen be put to work in proper sequence to stretch different longitudinal sections of the leather to different degrees, each successiveholder stretching to a less extent the portion it engagesthan precedingholders stretch ihat which they engage.

It is found in practice that by the use of a series of holders each ofwhich is adapted to engage only a relatively short marginal portion ofthe irregular end of a body of leather the leather can be stretched to agreater extent and to a more uniform condition 4than by the meanscommonly employed in leather,- stretching machines, that it is therebybetter iitted for use in the manufacture of belting, and that a savingresults therefrom in the preservation as part of the body of leather ofconsiderable portions of the irregular ends, which when the usual meansfor engaging them are employed are rendered unfit for belting and arecnt off and become waste of little value.

This application is a division of my pending application, No. 1,424,iiled January 25, 1900, and the patentable subject-matter herein shownand not claimed herein is reserved to be claimed in said earlierapplication, and the subject-matter of invention herein disclosed andnot claimed relative to the means for varying the point of pivotalconnection of the holder to the coupling device conformably to thedirection of tension of the leather is reserved to be claimed invmypending applica; tion, No. 10,128, filed March 26, 1900. l

Having described my invention, what I claim is'- 1. In aleather-stretching machine, the com; bination with a stretcher-head, ofa series of independent leather-holders adjustable lat# erally andlongitudinally thereof, and a cor; responding series of coupling deviceshaving laterally-adjustable pivotal connection with the holders adaptingthe latter to swing freely under tension, and ymeans for independentlypivoting each of said coupling devices to the stretcher-head,substantially as set forth.

2. In a leather-stretching machine, the comL bination with astretcher-head, of a series of leather-holders adapted to engagemarginal portions of leather at different inclinations to the directionof tension upon it, coupling devices having free pivotal connection withthe holders for attaching them to a member of the stretching mechanism,means for lateral `va' riation of the points of such pivotal connectioncorresponding with the varying inclinations ofthe holders, and means foradj ustably and pivotally connecting such coupling devices to thestretcher-head, substantially as set forth.

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3. In a leather-stretching machine, the combination with astretcher-head, of a series of 1eatl1erholders adapted to engagemarginal portions of leather at dierent inclinations to the direction oftension upon it, coupling devices having free pivotal connection withthe holders for attaching them to a member of the stretching mechanism,means for lateral variation of the points of such pivotal connectioncorresponding With the varying inclinations of the holders, and meansfor independently and successively pivotally connecting such couplingdevices to the stretching mechanism, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination With a leather-holder and a stretcher-head, of acoupling-bar having a .laterally-adjustable pivotal connection with theholder adapted to permit the holder to swing freely under tension,- andmeans for adj ustably and pivotally connecting such bar to said head,substantially as set forth.

5. The combination with a stretcher-head,

. of a leather-holder having' means for the laterally-adj ustablepivotal connection of a coupling device adapted to permit free swingingmovement of the holdernnder tension, a coupling-bar, and means for adjustably and pivotally connecting such bar to the leather-holder and tothe stretcher-head, substantially as set forth.

6. A leather-holder for a stretching mechanism, consisting of a bodyprovided With means for engaging the leather and having in rear of theleather-engaging means a slot concave in the direction of the latter, acoup ling-bar adapted to engage in said slot and thereby pivotallyconnect said body to said bar, and means for adj ustably and pivotallyconnecting the coupling-bar to the stretching mechanism.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 4th day ofJanuary, 1901.

JOHN CALDWELL.

P. H. GUNCKEL, A. L. WHELAN

